know who he will be in them, God or the Devil, but he knows for sure that at least one such journey is worth a lifetime.
The plane to Kathmandu takes the scientist to the lands of conscious loneliness.
Okay-Okay
Before opening the door of the City Employment Center, Zabey hides his brand new iPhone deeper into the inner pocket of his jacket. Mistrust is closely intertwined with a heightened sense of justice, insisting that only the poor should receive unemployment benefits. For unknown reason, the inspector who makes the decision is imagined of an objective, scrupulous auditor who looks not only at the certificate from work, but also carefully assesses the appearance, grooming of the applicant and can even ask: «Where did you go on vacation this summer?» So he doesn’t have to know what the benefit will be spent on. And luxury goods are better not to show.
TV in the lobby shows animated infographics. It shows in colored columns how the top 10 richest people on the planet have changed over the past 30 years. Zabey was patriotically waiting for one of the Russian oligarchs to appear in the list. And that he climbed higher, so that his income was comparable to the profit of Bill Gates.
«None of Russians on the list,» remarks the man sitting next to him.
«Yeah, ours are stealing moderately,» Zabey replies.
At the end of the video, a call is chanted in large letters: «You can also be on this list! Start working right now!» Two man exchange glances sarcastically. The electronic queue number flashed on the screen. Zabey checks the number on his ticket and enters the office. Inside at the computer sits a hunched civil servant with heavy bags under his eyes. At the sight of a visitor, he straightens up, trying to stay professional.
«Samoyedov Zabey Prolezaevich,» the civil servant reports, «your documents have been checked. From next month you will receive monetary compensation for the unemployed. At the moment, there are no vacancies of sommeliers. While we are waiting for proposals from the labor market, I invite you to take a vocational training course at the Progressive Behavior Center. They have supermodern techniques. You won’t regret it.» Zabey has always doubted the quality of the free offers, but he still thinks that the refusal can affect the amount of the allowance. So Zabey agrees.
A year passes.
A former sommelier plows with his knees the sea from empty beer cans, corks and wine bottles of all varieties and brands. During this time his room turns into an alcohol pool and Zabey does not know in general where to go next. In general. But right now he’s making his way towards the aluminum can press to at least clear the blockage a little bit. After this he will sit on a glass crusher. Zabey had not time yet to fully automate the processing of secondary raw materials, and investors’ proposals for expanding production are already pouring into Direct. Especially after the TV broadcast a report about a local attraction, made by him.
It all started right here in his apartment, when agents of the Progressive Behavior Center stuffed it with hidden video cameras. One of the agents hands him a non-disclosure agreement and a plan of mandatory events with the invitation of relatives and friends. Every Sunday, according to the plan, Zabey should get acquainted and invite any new person to visit. The schedule for the next month also included classes with the mentor, adjusted based on observations of his behavior in the home environment.
For the first week Zabey is embarrassed to be under someone else’s gaze 24/7, but he gets used to it pretty quickly. The action map shows the main factor holding back his potential: the awkwardness of just fantasizing about what others might think of him.
– I can’t figure out at what point I’m turning the wrong way? – Zabey asks, resting in the foam pit after another session.
– There is no answer to this question in such a statement, – answers the mentor, relaxing nearby. – Any decision you make is a turn in the right direction. Only your own attitudes and environment can convince you of the opposite. But when making decisions, you should not listen to other people’s advice. Because there is no person who could point the only right way. There are an infinite number of options, and no one is able to sort through them all.
– But then I will not be able to share with others either the joy of victories or the bitterness of defeats. After all, the responsibility is only on me.
– You always have to sacrifice something. «Your most cherished desire», «right now», «without big effort». Choose any two.
After psychological training, Zabey becomes more attentive to the world around him. His head stops rejecting ideas for fear of public censure. The former sommelier could not even imagine that in the afternoon, instead of a slight working drunkenness, he would be visited by creative impulses, and in the morning fresh ideas would take the place of a viscous hangover.
For example, his cat is so hyperactive from the new food that it turns on the tap itself and jumps under the stream of water. Zabey tries to teach his pet to pour him a bath, but he lacks patience: cats are too wayward and poorly trained. However, the episode was recorded by hidden video cameras. Soon physical activities aimed at fostering perseverance appear in the schedule. Exercise on a bicycle lasts half a day. Task: to drive 100 km without stopping.
«You need to learn patience, my friend,» says the mentor. «It is enough to press the pedals with force, to go fast. But if you want go far, you need to keep the rhythm constant. The goal will inevitably be conquered. The question is, will you make it.»
100 km without stopping – it seemed impossible. However, over time Zabey switches speeds so masterfully that the legs loading remains the same regardless of the slope of the road, and the distance is conquered. The same concept dominates swimming classes. The body gets used to load and does not feel it. By the end of the course, Zabey swims in the pool for all 40 minutes without rest. So he hones a will that came in handy almost immediately.
One day, contemplating the outside world, Zabey notices a magpie in the window, who is interested in the shiny metal lid of a bottle thrown on the asphalt. Enthusiasm wanted to act. Zabey places a bird feeder on the balcony, having improved it previously. Instead of pouring food on the table, he drills in it a gap to the size of the bottle cap. According to the idea, the bird should lower the lid into the gap. The lid passes through a detector that turns on a vibrating dispenser located on the side of the feeder. Dispenser measures exactly one peanut and lays out the reward on the table next to the bird.
Even entertainment was educational at the Progressive Behavior Center. They played poker at the practicum «Controlled Risk». Every player was putting something inexpensive, every day on the line. Something you can risk without regret. Just to not be afraid to take risks. There were marmalade candies on the blinds usually, and the rates were raised with disposable sachets with shampoo or condoms.
And now Zabey is ready to take a chance. He seemed to be obsessed with his venture. Having set aside at least for food, he spends all the remaining money on buying parts for the feeder-exchanger. Zabey lacks the engineering skills to run an electrical circuit, so he is covered with robotics and programming sites. In moments when his head is filled to the brim with the amount of new information, he brews a cup of coffee, which inevitably turns on the time coffee machine and sends him to memories of the Center.
Everything was different in the center, as if you were in another dimension. In a regular pool, not even the cheapest, instructors were regularly irritated by his long hair sticking out from under his cap. It seems that when the water filters were clogged, they got a lot out of their superiors.
But here the mentor said: «Long hair used to interfere with you. They fall on the eyes at the most inopportune moment, do not allow the headphones to sit comfortably in the ears. They need special care so that they do not look like a dried bush. But no matter how you turn it, you will want a short hairstyle in summer.
So-o-o-o.
Enjoy